MAURITANIA* (24 May)
Seasonably dry conditions prevail. Plantings of coarse grains will start following the onset of rains, which normally begins in July. Availability of seeds is limited, following last year’s widespread desert locust invasion and poor rainfall.
The food situation remains critical in Mauritania. Following release of the final 2004 cereal production figures, the aggregate cereal production is estimated at 116 064 tonnes, about 40 percent below 2003 and 26 percent below the previous five years average. Widespread and increasing malnutrition is reported. In response to the deteriorating situation, WFP has started Food-For-Work programme in Brakna, Gorgol, Assaba, Tagant and Hodh El Gharbi regions. European Union-funded food distribution, to be implemented by the Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire (CSA), has started in Trarza, Gudimakha and Hodl El Chargui. FAO appealed for US$11.4 million to provide agricultural inputs and assist pastoralists in the affected Sahelian countries, including Mauritania. These funds are urgently needed to respond to the worsening situation.